Theater wins even in the darkest times

What can art do when the world is in a social, moral and cultural mess, and can theater be loved in that world without grace, love and hope, said Dimitrije Popović, Hazim Begagić, Varja Đukić, Boris Liješević, Ana Tomović... What can I do? theater and art today when the spectacle imposes itself as the very heart of the unreality of modern society, and when in all aspects - news, propaganda, advertising, politics, entertainment, it represents the ruling form of life? Will this world of spectacle rob us of Hamlet and Desdemona? Will the virtual space of the computer kill the illusion of the theater stage? What is the position of the political theater today: what to do when nothing can be done, when art is in crisis, the world is in disarray, and we live in Hamlet's time that has "jumped out of the joint"? Where to find nobility when people are ruled by content without substance, the cruelty of neoliberalism, lack of solidarity in society...?

This is only a part of the questions that were opened in the two-day debate of the City of Theater, which, as part of its Drama program, also set the topic "Theatre in the time of rudeness: how to love theater in a world without mercy, love and hope?". The participants of the debate (first evening) were painter Dimitrije Popović, actor and docent of the University of Tuzla Hazim Begagić, and director Milan Nešković. On the second evening, actress Varja Đukić spoke about whether we will be able to find solace in the darkness of the theater scene from the rudeness and disease of modern society, from the vulgar and vain spectacle as the ruling form of production, and whether the theater has the strength to fight against such a concept of the world. , and directors Boris Liješević and Ana Tomović.

The moderator of the conversation and an excellent "guide" through a topic that, in fact, does not only concern theater and art, but in many aspects touches the very existence of modern man, was the critic Bojan Munjin, who is also the co-lector of the Drama Program of the City of Theater.

According to Dimitri Popović, the world today is living a really difficult, immoral and manipulative moment, in which authentic, essential values ​​are being destroyed in all segments of life, society and religion, but he is still an optimist and believes that art can be opposed to such a world. if the artist remains himself and free.

- Some experts who deal with the effect of electronic expansion and consumer awareness, believe that man will lose the ability to think in the future. Everything will be served to him, and on the other hand, he will be a slave to the corporate system. Indeed, can beauty save the world? Maybe it can, if man will be able to defend himself. In this sense, art and everything that ennobles the spirit can play a significant role. If the perspective of the future is so dark, as it seems today, then I'm afraid that we will have to invest all the strength we have and save beauty from the world - said Popović.

For the director Milan Nešković, the theater is a place to confront the social, political and all other circumstances in which we live, and for Hazim Begagić, who is also the director of the National Theater in Zenica, the theater still has strength today, but the confrontation with frustrating circumstances is very difficult, as social as well as political.

- The theater is under a lot of pressure, we are facing various problems, including those that the Bosnian society has, and that it shares with the countries around it. Without neglecting the therapeutic role of the theater, we have always based our repertoire on the fact that in the plays we must essentially face what is our environment, everyday life, and I think that the Janso theater must show its rebellion - Begagić pointed out.

Actress Varja Đukić believes that it is not enough to just theorize about where theater and society are today, but we should look for mechanisms to fundamentally change that situation.

- If the lack of cathartic effect of the theater is stated, then we should see what actually happened, and I am a generation that remembers the theater that belongs to different social and political epochs in this area. What we are crying out for in a system that is completely riotous, is to constitute what is the obligation of the theater. This obligation is perceived completely differently in our institutional theaters, which can be seen from the repertory policies, which are very colorful, which are not consistent, and in which it is not at all visible what their idea of ​​society is, what that society needs, and what it should do. ponders today. I believe that the theater must touch on sensitive topics, draw attention to the circumstances in which we live, "push a finger in the eye" and show rebellion - said Varja Đukić, citing as an example the play "The Serbian Woman" by Oliver Frljić.

How can the theater, which has had its function for two and a half thousand years, break through to its essential values ​​today, according to Boris Liješević, imposes the story that the theater should be this way or that way.

- It has become a dictate of the times in our country, that an obligation is imposed on the theater at any cost, that it must do something. And in my opinion, the theater must and must not. Someone should ask the great director Jirgen Goš where his social involvement in the fantastic play "Uncle Vanja" is. There are so many different aesthetics in theater, reflections, and I think that every theater creator is a task for himself, and his task is to follow his inspiration and his freedom. Today, for some people in the theater, rebellion is pure manners, without real inspiration, because rebellion has become a current commodity and they profit exclusively from it. This happens precisely because the theater is considered to have to do something. For me, the only thing that every theater creator has to do is to seek and win his freedom - emphasized Liješević.

According to Ana Tomović, it is extremely difficult these times of ours, in which life "slips through people's fingers", but there is always a chance for repair.

- I believe in the possibility of transformation and change, and what interests me in the theater is the human soul, and the contact of man with his own soul. I think that this is the huge value of the theater, that it can question such big topics, because they are timeless. They have no concrete connection with any political moment, but are a matter of a person's internal, personal movement through life, and something that each of us must face. In life, we all encounter a moment of complete uncertainty, hopelessness, and today, no illusions about humanity and goodness at the level of the state, society, exist anymore. Every ideal has been lost, in such circumstances man is completely disoriented, because he is given over to general egoism. But what makes theater valuable to me and why I believe in it is precisely that in it, even in the blackest dramas, and in the darkest things and neuroses, there is always a vertical, there is always a longing for something sublime that gives meaning to our lives. This is what people come to the theater for, where an alchemical act is created between the actors and the audience - pointed out Ana Tomović.

"In today's societies, the most vulgar entertainment content is declared culture"

Among the European and regional philosophers and critics whose views Munjin quoted during this debate was Balša Brković, who says in his text that "in a perverse way, our societies are sickly indifferent".

"And there is less and less, not only books, but anything that can cause noise. So that's not a bad thing - as much as silence can sometimes be healing, it can also be very dangerous. Especially if it's a way for a society, for a community to sign moral capitulation with its silence... And I'm part of a generation that grew up with some stories about humanism, in a welfare state where culture was invested very seriously. We were brought up on the most elite Western European culture, which produced fantastic results, from the most serious cinematography to all other arts. In today's societies, the most vulgar entertainment content is declared to be culture, which is also part of a political project and a massive one over people - the creation of an unthinking and uncritical electorate and society without any democratic corrective.